For beginning baseball and softball players, finding the right stance is critical for hitting success at the plate. Upon watching professional baseball players today, one might begin to think that there isn't a single correct stance, and that's a correct assumption. However, when beginning to play ball and acclimating oneself to a proper stance and swing mechanics, there are time-tested guidelines to follow.
One key to a proper stance is foot positioning. Unfortunately, beginners may have difficulty consistently positioning their feet for a proper stance, and it may be impractical for a parent or coach to correct foot positioning while a batter is at the plate. Additionally, it may be dangerous for a parent or coach to approach a batter, particularly an eager novice, at the plate. Even if a coach initially positions the player's feet, many novice batters have a tendency to move their feet before taking a swing.
The same challenges apply to golf. Proper stance, including foot positioning relative to a tee and ball, is critical for an effective swing. Again, beginners may have difficulty consistently positioning their feet for a proper stance, and it may be impractical and dangerous for a parent or coach to correct foot positioning while a golfer is addressing the ball.
Other sports requiring a proper stance and swing, such as cricket, may also present the same challenges. In each case, a novice may not know or remember where to place his or her feet. In each case, intervention by a coach or parent may be impractical (e.g., time consuming, embarrassing, or against the rules during an official game or match), risk injury to the instructor, and an inferior method for teaching the player to independently properly locate his or her feet. In each case the player may move his or her feet, after proper positioning, without being aware that such movement has taken place.
Many other activities also require a proper stance. Nonlimiting examples of such activities include firearm training, archery and combat. By way of example, the “Weaver stance” for shooting a firearm entails positioning the feet in a boxing stance, with the non-shooting side foot ahead of the shooting side foot. A person shooting right-handed will have the right foot angled out to approximately forty-five degrees to the side and to the rear at shoulder length. In contrast, the “Isosceles stance” for shooting a firearm involves positioning the feet shoulder width apart, with the support-side foot slightly forward, and the knees bent, shifting the center of mass forward to help the shooter better control recoil. In archery, with a right hand bow, the archer's left foot will be on the “down range” side or the target side of the shooting line, with feet spaced approximately shoulder width apart and parallel to the shooting line.
In combat, various stances, including open and closed stances, are used, with increased lateral distance between the lead and rear foot in an open stance. While open stances are more stable than closed stances, they leave one vulnerable to groin attacks and expose a larger portion of the body to an opponent. Closed stances help agility, but can be unstable. As with stances for many other activities, the bend in the knees, the height relative to a normal standing position, and the shifting of body weight over one foot, the other foot, or evenly, varies according to combat objectives.
What is needed is a device that does not interfere with the activity, is intuitive and easy to use, can be setup and configured in a matter seconds, can be used on various terrains with various users having various stances and physiques, and allows a user's foot to maintain contact with actual terrain during use. The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.